Legacy by Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts weaves together tropes she's worked with before to make a story that is unique. Like many of her contemporary one-offs, Legacy is three parts - when the main character(s) are children with a glimpse of when life first changes for them, the near-present and who they are about to become with another defining moment, and then the present where they find happiness. 

This book brings out all the feels with the deaths of many characters, each of which create a turning point for either our hero or our heroine but brought out a lot of snot and tears in this reader. I liked Adrian but didn't feel like we got to know Raylan very well and their romance didn't really hit until midway through part three which means that there's not a lot of time for the reader trust that they will get an HEA (though, really, it couldn't've been different unless the book got to be unwieldy). Raylan's kids were well developed and escaped being plot moppets since they had their own personalities outside of being there to get the h/h together.

I loved that Raylan's first marriage was a good one but his first wife wasn't held up as a paragon therefore ruining him for all other women. The relationship building of Adrian's family, both blood and found family, was stellar. The progression of her relationships with those people and then the relationships they had with each other was more satisfying than the romance. One of my catnips is seeing how characters connect and this book piled it on in spades.

Adrian Rizzo grew up with a mother who forged a name for herself in the world of video workouts. But that doesn't mean that she's going to shy away from that world nor does it mean she's going to ride her mother's coattails. However, stepping into the spotlight means that she's attracted the interest of people who might not want the best for her. In fact, a stalker looms in the shadows who doesn't even want Adrian to live. 

Four and a half stars

This book come out May 25th

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

This looked like a cute book and it definitely was. I have to admit that I was disappointed because the cover looks like this would be a comic book but it was a good story nonetheless. Lots of familiar romance tropes (enemies-to-lovers, fake relationship) that wove together nice in a book that is probably generally aimed at the high school crowd. It was great that Scottie, our narrator, had an incredibly supportive family and Irene, her love interest, did too, just in a different way.

Scottie is a basketball player whose ex broke her heart by breaking up with her and moving to the fancy, snooty school. When the story opens, her basketball team has just lost in an exhibition game against her ex’s new team. So Scottie is understandably upset. When she and Irene get in a fender-bender, the result is that Scottie is going to be driving Irene to school every morning. The resulting furor at school gives Scottie the idea that the two should fake date in a win-win situation to them both. But then pesky real feelings get involved.

The exploration of Scottie’s heartbreak as well as how she works through her feelings and deals with a bully in an appropriate manner showing the adult that she is becoming were the best parts of this story.

Four stars

This book comes out April 20th

ARC kindly provided by MacMillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Broken (in the best possible way) Jenny Lawson

 

If you haven't read Jenny Lawson before, you may want to start with her other books but only because they are so amazingly awesome and worth reading as well. This book had me laughing out loud so hard it hurt my throat. It also had me crying. 

Lawson tells stories from her own life that cross topics from her childhood to her marriage to her mental illness. And it is really the last that has garnered her the most attention. She honestly describes her (at times crippling) depression. She doesn't whitewash the pain it has caused her or her family. But she also highlights the hysterical parts of life (the Twitter thread she accidentally started about people's most embarrassing moments makes me feel better about how I people) as well as those parts that are amazingly poignant (her grandmother's dementia.) 

Four and a half stars

This book comes out April 6th

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Faithless in Death : An Eve Dallas Novel by J. D. Robb

I loved this return to normal. The last book was fine but there was too much trying to bring back every character ever. The "bad guys" were a little two-dimensional but not horribly so. It was more building off of stereotypes to create a shortcut so that each person could get a little more depth. We also got more about our favorite characters with Mavis and Leonardo taking a pretty big life step that is just so true to their family.

The case starts out with the murder of a young artist. A wealthy, engaged socialite discovered the body and made a frantic 911 call. She claims that she was just visiting a friend but Eve and even Peabody are seeing cracks in the story. As they dig, they begin to find that the case might not be as simple as they originally thought and that finding the killer might mean having to take down a giant cult at the same time.

Four stars

This book comes out February 2nd, 2021  
Follows Shadows in Death

Followed byForgotten in Death
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread August 2023 as audiobook from Libby

The Awakening by Nora Roberts

When Breen discovers that her mother has been hiding secrets about Breen's father (including a large amount of money that should have gone to Breen), she decides to wrest herself from under her mother's thumb and then grabs her bestie/roommate Marco and goes to Ireland. There, she hops to learn more about her absent father. And what she finds is beyond imagination. She's going to find inner stores of strength and power that she will need in order to help save her father's land and his legacy. This is La Nora so, of course, there will be romance on the way.

This book, like many of Roberts' lately, has a LOT of backstory and character building. The entire first of three parts is just Breen finding out that she doesn't know everything about herself and doing some exploration. The middle dragged a little for me but I am enjoying this dip back into fantasy.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out November 24th

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own 

The Gift of the Magpie by Donna Andrews

It’s the holiday season and Meg is, as usual, in charge. This time, she’s riding herd on a Helping Hands group. People can call up and ask for help, Meg organizes groups of volunteers to get projects done. Current projects include spreading fertilizer, finishing a quilt, and helping a hoarder clean out his house. Harvey, the hoarder, is the bane of his neighborhood. And his family. But both groups are strangely against the Helping Hands coming in to clean out his junk. It gets to the point that someone bonks him on the head. 

Not a super deep story but we see all of the characters we’ve gotten to know and love as the series has built and there is a feel-good ending that regular readers will appreciate.

Four stars

This book comes out October 20, 2020

Follows The Falcon Always Wings Twice

Followed by Murder Most Fowl

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Reread January 30, 2020, as audible book December 2023

Shadows in Death by J. D. Robb

After an evening out, Eve and Roarke are stopped by the murder of a young mother. But the night goes to absolute crap when Roarke sees a face from his past and realizes that this is the work of a contract killer. It will take all of our favorite characters to make sure that the killer is brought to justice.

And by all, I do mean all. We see almost every side character that has ever been introduce to the series in this book and that made it feel a little overcrowded to me. Regular readers will have all the feels as regular beats are hit (e.g. Eve becoming a little more human, more of Roarke's past uncovered, etc.) This is definitely not a standalone book because so much of the story depends on knowing what has happened in previous books.

Three stars

Follows Golden in Death

Followed by Faithless in Death

This book comes out September 8, 2020

ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby August 2023

The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews

It's time to get out of town for the summer! Meg's grandmother is hosting a Ren Faire on her property. Of course, hyper-organized, super-solver Meg is involved, especially behind the scenes, and her professor/actor husband is in charge of the semi-improv actors one of whom, Terrence, has set himself up as the jerk of the troupe. Technically, that is his role in the fair but he tends to act that way both on the job and off. Thus it is no surprise to the reader that he is the one who gets bumped off.
The murderer was fairly easy to guess but does anyone really read to try and solve the mystery? Longtime readers will love this book as Andrews does what she does best. All of our favorite characters grow, even with the requisite time jumps (which are an awesome plot device; not only does she move the place around but adds in these breaks of, sometimes years, so that the sheer number of bodies Meg runs into seem a little more plausible. Okay, not a ton but a little.)
Could first time Meg Langslow readers start with this book? I think so but you'd miss some of the depth of the characters that regular readers have gotten to know and love. Plus, you'll just want to go back to the start anyway so why not just begin there?

Four stars
Follows Owl be Home for Christmas

Followed by The Gift of the Magpie
This book comes out August 4, 2020
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread January 2022

The Devil's Bones by Carolyn Haines

For regular Haines readers, I don't think you will be disappointed. The main mystery was really intriguing but fell apart a bit at the end when an old enemy (rather awkwardly added to the story) shows up again. Characters' story arcs are moved along and the writing is just as good as always.
Sarah Booth is visiting a new B&B in a nearby town to celebrate Tinkie's new pregnancy. The B&B is near the Palestinian Gardens, a 20-acre piece of property that is set up to be a miniature version of the Holy Lands and Tinkie wants to attend the sunrise Easter service. Too bad their exploration of the gardens is marred by the discovery of the local ambulance chaser. And, as can be expected from a mystery story, there is more than one person who wanted him dead with the lead suspect being the handsome bachelor of the town.

Three stars
This book comes out July 27th
Follows Game of Bones

Followed by A Garland of Bones
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Hideaway by Nora Roberts

Caitlyn "Cate" Sullivan comes from Hollywood royalty. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, her dad, her entire family are actors. She herself started acting at twenty-one months.  Now, at ten, the drama of the screen has become real life. Caitlyn has been kidnapped. She manages to free herself (already a kickass heroine!) and is helped by a boy named Dillon. Once she gets home, she helps unmask the people who plotted to get ten million dollars from the Sullivan family.
We get to see more of Cate as she grows up, decides against being an on-screen actress and eventually turning to voice acting. She returns, occasionally, to the estate she was kidnapped from and sees Dillon as he grows up too. By Part III of the book, they are both fully grown and heading toward a serious love. But someone from the past still blames them for the path that night took so long ago and believe revenge to be a dish best served cold.
I liked this ARC better on the second read. The third part is a little mushy on timeline that made it hard to follow and, on the second read, I didn't have to work so hard to figure it out. I gave it a second read because I think that part may be better edited before the book goes to print and I wanted to give it a fair shake.  Regular readers of Roberts will recognize her touches in this story and probably enjoy it as much as any of her other contemporary stand-alones. I still connected more with Abigail in The Witness or Fiona in The Search but the family ties in this book were what made it shine.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out May 26th
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Golden in Death by Nora Roberts

On a clear April morning, a beloved pediatrician opens an unexpected package. Inside is a golden egg. When he opens the egg, a small cloud of gas erupts, killing him. Eve and Peabody are called in to investigate. But they can't find anyone with a grudge against the doctor. He truly was a man that everyone liked. A second death-by-egg helps them to find a thread and uncover a reason for the killing.
There wasn't as much character development in this book as usual, either for the killers or for our leads. It was a fine book but without some of the introspection that make the other books more fun.

Three stars
Follows Vendetta in Death
Followed by Shadows in Death
This book comes out February 4, 2020
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby August 2023

Terns of Endearment by Donna Andrews

Meg's grandfather has been asked to lead a series of bird talks on the cruise line Pastimes. In return, he got a friends and family discount. So the entire clan has packed up and headed to Florida to get on the boat. Even waiting to embark is sending up red flags since the porter does not seem willing to take aboard her family's 32 bags. The trip only gets odder after Meg meets a group of 4 writers who had a friend die recently; the woman they blame, Desiree, has also joined the cruise. It becomes quite quickly obvious that Desiree is a exactly as the other writers describe her, thoroughly despicable. Is it, however, a surprise that her shawl and shoes are found on deck 4 along with a suicide note. This happens on the same day that the boat's engines go silent.
With the officers of the boat behaving as if all is well (it very noticeably is NOT), the staff size mysteriously small, and the appearance of a body (not Desiree's), Meg is up to her eyeballs in mystery.
Andrews usually does a great juggling her large cast of minor characters and mostly does okay in this book but there are some places where it feels like there are a LOT of people introduced; this will probably be confusing for new-to-the-series readers but not as hard for those of us who are Langslow fans. I appreciated that the book was moved out of Caerphilly but was never really pulled into the story.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out August 6th, 2019

Follows Lark! The Herald Angels Sing

Followed by Owl Be Home for Christmas
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

Reread as Audible book December 2023

Game of Bones by Carolyn Haines

Near Sarah Booth Delaney's home, they've started an archaeological dig on a burial mound but something has gone wrong. One of the main archaeologists has been murdered in a very brutal fashion. The other archaeologist, Frank Hafner, hires Sarah Booth and Tinkie to clear his name. There are a lot of suspects since the murdered woman was a maneater and endeared herself to no one. Peter Deerstalker, the member of a local tribe is also hellbent on making sure that the dig stops so that his ancestors can rest in peace. And there was something odd about the family who most recently owned the property. Could they be coming back to cause trouble?
There was so much crammed into this book that it was hard to follow who was doing what and why we needed to care about anyone other than our main character. The first historical elements introduced (at least in the ARC) seemed a little off but then we got to the bit about Custer and that was  SO wrong that it took me out of the story. I get that this is a fiction book and should get some leeway but whoo-ee, this was bad in that it pulled me out of the story every time after that Haines introduced some "history" of the area. I was already wavering in between two and three stars and the ending took it down for me. There have always been supernatural elements in this series but to add in magic was just too far for me. It made sense in order to tie up the story but the ending came out of left field.

Two and  half stars
Followed by The Devil's Bones
This book came out May 14th
ARC kindly provided by Macmillan and NetGalley
Opinions are my own